Stonewall transparency ~ By Pat Boone

From WorldNetDaily

By Pat Boone Posted: November 07, 2009 ~ 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 Let's see. I seem to remember a declarative, emphatic promise from candidate Barack Obama, something about "a new transparency in government." Yes, and a resounding, fervent promise by the newly elected President Obama: "My administration will bring a new transparency in our governance." That sounded so good, didn't it? Over the last several decades, the American people have become very angry about the many ways elected representatives have created to feather their own nests, curry favor with special-interest groups and, worst of all, enact legislation that restricts traditional freedoms – without consulting with the people who elected them. Candidate Obama, and the people who were composing his speeches, showed sensitivity to the simmering furor over "earmarks," giant slabs of "pork" added to appropriations and other bills in Congress. Elected politicians have used this sneaky, rotten process for many years; into a multi-billion-dollar bill these scoundrels salt their own local, self-serving, pet projects – often without their names attached – correctly assuming that a few million dollars here or there won't be noticed, and they'll be heroes to their constituents back home. All at the expense of unsuspecting, unknowing taxpayers. You and me. Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens sneaks in an appropriation of $140 million for a "bridge to nowhere." Pennsylvania's Rep. Jack Murtha saddles us with a new airport facility in his district, costing millions, to accommodate two or three flights a day – between Washington and his district. Candidate Obama swore that he'd veto any of these porky earmarks that found their way into any bill that crossed his desk. His promise of accountability – of transparency – of responsibility to the voting taxpayers sounded so great. He was elected by voters who believed his words. But the first appropriations bill that hit his presidential desk contained $7.7 billion in nearly 9,000 earmarks. And he signed it. When questioned about it, he lamely explained that all this pork had been buried in the bill before and during his election – as if that validated it and excused him from his vow. Then he and his advisers quickly devised an $847 billion "stimulus plan" that would "bail out" our lending institutions and auto manufacturers, saving and creating thousands of new jobs and stimulating our crippled, struggling economy. This gigantic, frightening plan was put into play without any consultation with the voters, the taxpayers who would have to fund the whole thing. Right on the heels of that mind-numbing exercise, a new mandate for a gigantic government-run health-care plan was announced – one that the majority of Americans say they don't really want – one that would cost an estimated one and a quarter trillion dollars. The Democrat-controlled House and Senate appeared ready to roll over and rubber-stamp the administration's wishes, again without giving the voting public any say in it whatsoever. In fact, one House bill was over a thousand pages, and was delivered to our cowed representatives the night before they were expected to pass it – without even reading it! What kind of "transparency" was this? Well, the general public, aroused voters by the millions, began to assemble in the offices of their representatives, in town meetings and demonstrations – astounding the administration in a show of anger and militant resistance to these heavy-handed methods that would saddle us all with massive debt and unwanted programs. [CLICK HERE TO READ MORE]